The invention is directed to a wheeled container and specifically a wheeled display case into which can be packaged rolled-up or rollable tradeshow graphics, displays, portable display frames, such as conventional folding, knock-down or sectional display frames, and associated display accouterments which are utilized at trade shows, conventions and similar exhibit forums.
Wheeled containers are well known and have been manufactured, sold and used for many, many years. Typical of such wheeled containers are wheeled display cases, wheeled luggage and wheeled golf bag/golf club cases. Such wheeled containers or wheeled cases normally include a case body or container body formed of substantially rigid or flexible material, and in either case there is normally a handle and a pair of wheels associated with respective upper and lower ends of the container body. Typically wheeled luggage made of flexible materials includes one or more compartments which can be opened and closed utilizing zippers, whereas a typical rigid golf bag/golf club wheeled case is of a clam-shell construction defined by two body halves which are substantially symmetrical and are unitized by a hinge or a plurality of hinges extending or positioned along longitudinal edges of the container body halves.
Such conventional wheeled cases or containers are relatively adequate for their intended purposes, but one or more of the following disadvantages of such conventional constructions are apparent, particularly to frequent users thereof:
1. Both flexible and rigid wheeled containers or cases are relatively expensive to manufacture because of the complexity of the container bodies and the numerous steps involved in the manufacture thereof. This is particularly true with respect to flexible containers, such as wheeled luggage, in which numerous panels must be cut from flexible material, reinforcement is added thereto, zippers are sewn to the flexible panels, most often a rigidifying spine also serves as a slide-way for an extendable/retractable handle, a pair of wheels are connected to the frame, the frame is united by stitching, sewing, bonding and/or rivets to one of the flexible panels, etc.
2. In the case of wheeled golf bags/golf club cases, a major cost is the expense associated with the die maker manufacturing two identical dies in which the body halves can be injection molded. For example, normal shrinkage after injecting molding creates tolerance variations in the body halves which in turn make it difficult for the edges of the two halves to be accurately hinged together to assure edge-to-edge contact, and the latter most often necessitates the addition of a peripheral gasket or seal between the opposing peripheral edges of the case halves to preclude entry therein of dirt, debris, water, etc. When abused during shipment through mishandling, as often occurs, the case halves are permanently distorted or bent which further precludes consistent edge-to-edge sealing thereafter even upon efforts toward rebending the bent case halves toward their original manufactured orientation and tolerances.
3. Whether such wheeled containers or cases are substantially flexible or substantially rigid, a major ongoing problem in each is the poor quality of the wheels and associated shaft or shafts and the manner in which the latter are attached to the lower end of an associated wheeled container. It is not uncommon to see one or both of a pair of such wheels, particularly if of a relatively large diameter, wobbling precariously as the case is wheeled along a surface, and not uncommonly such wobbling creates forces which flex and progressively weaken an associated shaft or shafts eventually causing the wheels to permanently move out of parallelism relative to each other and thereby render the pulling of the wheeled case quire difficult, particularly if the contents thereof are relatively heavy. Such wheels and/or the shafts associated therewith lack laterally outboard support and the absence of the latter virtually assures the reduction in free-wheeling of the wheels during continued use of the wheeled case.
4. Little, if any, thought has gone into ergonomics of such wheeled cases, and this fact alone creates usage problems which are exasperated over time.
In keeping with present invention, a novel wheeled container or wheeled display case or the like is formed as a one-piece, preferably injection molded polymeric/copolymeric container body defined by an elongated housing-closed at a first end by a bottom wall and having an opposite second end defining an opening to which is pivotally attached a cover. The cover includes a recess defined by an end panel merging with a peripheral wall which in turn merges with a substantially annular wall. The upper end of the elongated housing includes a peripheral wall projecting axially upwardly from a substantially annular wall, and the peripheral walls and annular walls are in substantially mating relationship in the closed position of the cover which creates a highly effective seal against exterior contaminants, such as dirt, dust, moisture, etc.
The cover also includes a generally U-shaped handle defined by a pair of legs and a bight hand grip portion therebetween setting-off a hand-receiving recess which is preferably in the form of an opening which when viewed from above is substantially of a T-shaped configuration defined by a leg and oppositely directed arms. Pivot means for connecting the cover to the upper end of the housing is in part defined by two enlarged portions located to one or either side of the leg of the T-shaped opening or slot with each enlargement carrying a pivot pin. The pivot pins are directed toward each other in axially aligned spaced relationship and are interlockingly received in recesses or slots of an axially upwardly projecting reinforcement wall of the housing upper end adjacent the opening thereof. The pivot pin receiving slots or recesses open radially outwardly and each includes a narrow entrance portion and a larger blind end. The polymeric/copolymeric material temporarily yields as the pivot pins are moved radially inwardly through the entrance portions during the assembly of the cover to the container body and eventually seat and pivot in the blind ends, but once the material at the entrance portions inherently returns to its unflexed position, the pivot pins are prevented from escaping therefrom thereby retaining the cover upon the container body absent extraneous/additive/separate hinges, screws, bolts or the like, as are utilized in conventional hinges.
Alternatively, the pins and pivot pin-receiving recesses can be integral components of the respective container body and cover.
The housing peripheral wall is also preferably reinforced by a pair of outwardly thickened wall portions located substantially diametrically opposite each other midway between the pivotal connecting means and latching means for locking the cover to the container body which are also preferably located diametrically opposite to the pivotal connection between the cover and the container body.
The lower end of the housing includes a pair of wheel-receiving recesses opening downwardly and sidewise away from each other. One of each of a pair of wheels is received in an associated one of the wheel-receiving recesses, and a covering plate covers each wheel exteriorly and includes an opening through which projects an end of a shaft journaling each wheel. The end of each shaft is threaded and receives a nut threadably secured thereto. A medial portion of the shaft is supported and journalled in a wall of each recess. In this manner each wheel is sandwiched between a recess and its associated covering plate and a portion of the shaft immediately adjacent either side of an associated wheel is supported by the associated recessed wall and the covering plate. This construction prevents the shaft from bending and the wheels from wobbling thereby assuring parallism in the planes of rotation of the wheels during a lifetime of use of the wheeled container or case. Each wheel-receiving recess preferably is of a depth corresponding to the thickness of its associated wheel and adjacent thereto is a recess of lesser depth which receives a portion of the associated covering plate. Each covering plate is secured to a wall of the latter recess. The latter dimensioning and the thickness of each covering plate assures that an external surface of the covering plate corresponds generally to an exterior surface of the housing exterior surface which is not only aesthetically pleasing but prevents problems associated with exposed wheels, such as exposed wheels catching upon kick moldings, chair legs, furniture legs, etc., which under sufficient loading can simply tear conventional wheels from conventional wheeled containers.
In further accordance with the present invention, a carrying handle is disposed substantially medially along the length of the container body at a side substantially diametrically opposite a pull handle and a pair of wheels, and a pair of shoulder strap attachment loops are located one at each of the housing ends with the pair of loops being disposed at a side of the container body substantially diametrically opposite the pull handle and the pair of wheels. These locations of the carrying handle and the shoulder strap attachments loops are ergonomically correct and facilitate the lifting of the wheeled carrying case with relative ease. Furthermore, a plurality of longitudinally extending closely adjacent reinforcing ribs are located in opposite side reinforcing panels of the housing which effectively rigidify the entirety of the one-piece molded polymeric/copolymeric container body or casing body.